The Spread of Buddhism

116 xavier tremblay

Sog diana fell for the  rst time under Bactrian dominion.^187 It seems that

as the Bactrian politi cal sphere became Indianised, Buddhism was but

one part of the picture. This may seem strange at  rst, since Bactria

never spoke an Indian language and since Mazdeism and Buddhism

or Hinduism share few anthropological or cosmological orientations.^188

But the evidence betokens that the Bactrians and Sogdians themselves

probably considered Mazdeism and Hinduism as two forms of the

same religion, establishing correspondences between both. A fortiori

the inhabitants of the Tarim kingdoms, who had contacts primarily

with the Kua and later with the Hephthalite kingdoms through the

Indian parts of their kingdom, did not necessarily oppose Iranian and

Indian cultures and were prone to perceive Bactrian culture as Indian.

Mazdeism in its Bactrian and Sogdian form may have looked like an

Indian religion. It is in the intermingling of Indian and Iranian in u-

ences that the unity of Serindia may reside.^189

In the spread of Buddhism in Central Asia, we can distinguish two

periods: a Bactrian one (1st–6th century) and a Chinese one (6th–14th

century). Many  uctuations in the history of Buddhism coincide with the

adoption or the rejection of these models: the choice of Manichaeism,

not Buddhism, as the ruler’s religion by the Uighurs (763–1008) cor-

responds with an anti-Chinese policy. On the other hand, Buddhism

also served as a legitimation for independence and imperialism, at least

among the Tabga of the Northern Wei (386–535).^190

The most conspicuous Buddhist manifestations, such as monasteries

or donations are tributary to politics, but the harbingers of Buddhism

(^187) Grenet 2002, pp. 204f. About Sogdiana’s political and urbanistic remodelling
under the Kidarites and Hephthalites, see Grenet 1996, pp. 383–388. 188
Mazdeism, for instance, rejects the doctrine of an uncreated earth and of rein-
carnation, and ignores the notion of 189 karma. But see Freret 1994.
To take but one example, Sogdian Buddhists retained Mazdean names in the
eighth century (colophon of P.8). 190
Buddhism also enjoyed great favour among the Qitans of the Liao dynasty (ca.
907–1125) in the north of modern China (see Wittfogel & Fêng, 1949, pp. 291ff.), and
in the Xixia state of the Tangut people (ca. 982–1227) in northwestern China. The
Qitans made enormous gifts to monasteries, and edited the best ever Chinese Buddhist
canon (1031–1055) (Demiéville 1924, pp. 211–212; Wittfogel & Fêng, 1949, p. 294).
Qitan Buddhism had strong ties with the Uighur region and with India. In 1001, the
(still Manichaean) Uighurs even presented at the Liao court “Brahman” monks, that is
probably monks from India. The Xixia dynasty, on the other hand, partly substantiated
its claim to be an empire equal to China with regard to Buddhism (cf. Dunnell 1996,
pp. 118ff., especially pp. 137–139).
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